Supermoon Meets Partial Lunar Eclipse In Big Celestial Coincidence: Will You Be Able To See It?

According to NASA, the partial lunar eclipse will begin on Tuesday evening (US' Eastern Time, 6.11 am IST). At the peak of the eclipse, about 8% of the Moon’s surface will be shadowed.

A partial lunar eclipse will coincide with a supermoon, when a full Moon happens as the satellite is at its closest approach to Earth, between the night of September 17 and early September 18. People in North and South America, Africa, Europe and some parts of Asia will be able to see the remarkable celestial coincidence, but those in India will miss it because the Moon would have already crossed the horizon in this part of the world by the time this happens.

According to NASA, the partial lunar eclipse will begin on Tuesday evening (US' Eastern Time, 6.11 am IST). Despite good weather conditions, the dimming effect will be subtle, until the top edge of the Moon becomes obscured around 7.43 am IST, as per NASA.

The peak of the eclipse is said to be at 8.14 am IST, when about 8% of the Moon’s surface will be shadowed. After that, the Moon will begin exiting Earth’s shadow.

Lunar eclipses, according to NASA, "occur at the full Moon phase. When Earth is positioned precisely between the Moon and Sun, Earth’s shadow falls upon the surface of the Moon, dimming it and sometimes turning the lunar surface a striking red over the course of a few hours". Each lunar eclipse is visible from half of Earth, it adds. A partial lunar eclipse happens due to an imperfect alignment of Sun, Earth and Moon that "results in the Moon passing through only part of Earth's umbra".

No protective eyewear is needed to watch lunar eclipses. 

But the Lunar Eclipse will not be visible in India, as the Moon will be below the horizon during the entire event, making it difficult for observers there to view the event.